Thursday, January 31, 2008

Yes! The Sigma DP1 has been officially re-announced by Sigma! We now have official specs again. But the world would spin off its axis if Sigma actually gave us a price and an actual release date. Dpreview reports that they were told by Sigma that it would be available in "Spring 2008". The price you ask? Available at $800, pre-order at Amazon at the moment.

New coverage on the Sigma DP1Michael Tompkins of Imaging Resource has posted a new post on the Sigma DP1, detailing some of the differences between the new DP1 specification and the original DP1 specification. An interesting read for those interested in following the DP1.

The Sony A900 is coming in 2008! dpreview has the scoop, live blogging from the PMA 2008 Sony press event at PMA. The Sony Alpha A900 DSLR will be their flagship DSLR and coming later in 2008! It will be using the 25mp Sony CMOS 35mm full frame sensor just announced. Given that companies save their best for the Photokina trade show, we can assume that it may be revealed at that time. But may be not! dpreview also reports that it will have sensor-shift stabilization, just like their other DSLRs. Sony uses the blanket term Super Steady Shot across their product line.

The 1001 Noisy Cameras OpinionThis will make the 35mm full frame wars more exciting, as now the prices are setting the tone, with the Nikon D3 at $5000 and the Canon 1Ds Mark III at $8000. There's also the Canon 5D but we doubt Sony would price their 25mp flagship DSLR in the same price range as the 5D.

So the question is, will it be priced near the D3, under the D3, above the D3, near the 1Ds Mk III or above the 1Ds Mk III?

There are two different forces pulling this in different directions: The Sony brand price boost on everything "Sony branded" and the Minolta legacy of feature-packed cameras at very competitive prices. Our prediction? Perhaps around the Nikon D3 price, but this is just speculation!

New New Updates!dpreview has posted a quick hands-on preview of the DP1, including a gallery of 20 sample pictures taken around Las Vegas by dpreview! What did dpreview think of the images? What do you think of the images? How do the max ISO 800 images look? We blog, you decide!

Sigma has lots of candy for fans of 3rd party lenses as they launch a wave of new lenses. Let's try to sort through them! Complete press releases at SigmaPhoto.com - Sigma itself. Nikonians summarize the new releases from a Nikon perspective.

Think the waves of superzoom digital cameras are not having an effect on lens manufacturers? Think again as you peruse the list of new lenses below!

Quick SummarySigma has "pinged" their giant monsterous 200-500 f2.8 lens for fun and games. Will cost somewhere between a Honda Civic and a Honda Accord.

Then teased users of Minolta, Pentax and 4/3rds mounts with new f2.8 lenses, two for the first two mounts, and one for Four Thirds. Also gave 4/3rds users their version of the 10-20 EX DC HSM lens.

Appeased the masses with an 18-125 DC lens for all but the 4/3rds mount, and offered two APO DG HSM OS lenses for the zoomers.

And appeased the Nikon trio of DSLRs that expect lenses to have focus motors with two refreshes of the 70-300 lens (APO, and not APO).

Despite all these lenses, there were no new primes.

Minolta and especially Pentax lens owners will feel less left out by Sigma, as they made most of their new lenses available for those two mounts as well.

Sigma 200-500mm f/2.8 EX DG (Canon, Nikon, Sigma)

This is not a typo, this is a GIANT LENS!

An included attachment allows you to use this as a 400-1000mm f5.6 lens.

When used on a DX (1.5X) DSLR, you get the 35mm equivalent of 300-750mm with the lens alone, and 600-1500mm when using the attachment.

Weights 15.7 kgs (about 550 ounces,l which is around 34-35 lbs; calculations done off the top of my head while multi-tasking and blogging, so don't use the numbers to write up contracts)

DC: lenses designed to work with DSLRs using sensors smaller than 35mm full frame, typically ranging from 1.5x FOV (Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Fuji), to 1.6x (Canon), to 1.7x (Shiguma), to 2x (4/3rds party).

A few days ago we created a Flickr group and Flickr photo pool to accompany this blog. This way we can thank our readers by offering them the option to showcase their pictures on this noisy blog. If you want to add your pictures to the pool, or see all the pictures of the pool, please visit our Flickr Photo Pool. If you are not sure how to add pictures to a pool, be sure to check this Flickr Help page.

We are still trying to figure out how to customize the Flickr badges and how to automatically display the Flickr User name below the picture. If anyone knows how to do this, please let us know. We are using the HTML badges as this is a Flash-free blog.

The five pictures were randomly selected by the Flickr computers from our flickr photo pool. Each time this page loads you will see a different combination of pictures.

Don't let the numbers confuse you. Even though their Z1286 IS has a higher model number, it is actually a step below the Z1012IS in the Kodak line-up. The Z1012 follows-up on the Kodak Z812 IS, which followed up on the Kodak Z712 IS. Also don't let this confuse you with the Kodak Z1085 IS, which actually has a 5X IS lens.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

As it was rumored for a while now, Sony introduced two new Alpha DSLRs, the A300 and the A350. These two make things a lot more interesting in the world of the Sony-Minolta mount, but before we get there, first let's take a look at the two new DSLRs!

Meet the Sony A350The highlight of this DSLR is a brand new Sony 14mp CCD sensor. And what makes this quite interesting is that the differences between these two DSLRs stem from the differences of the sensors themselves.

The price is $900 (pre-order, Amazon) and this includes the 18-70 DT kit lens. This "crowns" the A350 as the DSLR with the most megapixels under $1000, a crown that could prove thorny once the pixel peepers put its high ISO pictures under the e-microscope.

The cameras have the SLR features you would expect in this range, ISO 3200, 1/4000 to 30 second shutter speed range, pentamirror, PSAM, 9pt AF with center cross, dust bunnies (dust cleaning mechanism of sorts), RAW and RAW+JPEG.

Did we mention Super Steady Shot which is the Sony blanket term which in this case refers to their sensor shift image stabilization.

Sony is trying to differentiate this DSLR duo with its own approach to Live View with a tilting 2.7" LCD to go with it. And it's not a surprise that it would take an electronics company, not a traditional SLR company to push the envelope on making Live View on DSLRs almost as functional as that on $100 entry-level P&S digicams.

Check the websites above and below for detailed diagrams on how Sony's new Live View with Quick Autofocus works. Basically they have a mirror that directs the incoming light to either the traditional optical viewfinder or the bonus sensors that is used for Live View purposes.

Because the camera hardware has to carry a bigger anthill, populated by 14 million ants (read: pixels), the burst mode is a turtlesque 2fps, which makes the 3fps of the Pentax K20D look not as bad. This buffer is 6 RAW files deep, or 3 RAW+JPEG deep. The price you pay for a 14mp sensor. Compare and contrast that with the 60fps 6mp Casio EX F1 which uses a Sony sensor as well. Granted this is an apples and oranges comparison, and if we go on, we could make a refreshing fruit salad :)

Meet the Sony A300The DSLR is very easy to describe. Same as the A350, except it features a 10mp Sony CCD sensor of the DX (APS-C) variety. The price is $800 ($100 less than the A350), and it also includes the 18-70 DT kit lens. Because this camera's hardware only has to carry an anthill of just 10 million ants, it is able to shoot faster, at 3fps instead of 2fps. The buffer size however remains the same.

As you can see, Sony was perhaps smart in trying to capitalize on sales to both users who appreciate as many megapixels as they can get their hands on and users who want enough megapixels to get things done and have a decent burst mode.

You can pre-order the A300 in two configuration, with the 18-70 DT lens ($800, Amazon pre-order) or with a 2-lens kit (18-70 DT, and 55-200 DT) ($1000, Amazon pre-order)

Throwing all the Sony DSLRs in the hatNow if these two were the only Sony DSLRs, it would look great for those interested in buying. But things are a whole lot more complicated. Buyers have a choice of 5 DSLRs, and the differences sometimes cannot be found without digging knee high into the spec sheets. For one thing, there's the "original" Sony A100 which is now going for around $600 (or less) for body only.

Then you have the brand new Sony A200, also at 10mp, but with a fixed LCD, and at about $700 with the 18-70 DT lens. And then we have the new 12mp Sony A700 which is at the top of the price tier because of its more advanced features. But perhaps because of the other new DSLRs announced, the A700 is sliding in price, currently at under $1300 for body only.

So price-wise, we have a stair-case, with each step worth about $100 more. First the A100, then the A200, then the A300 and then the A350. From there, we take a big jump to the A700. With these in mind, and the new Sony 25mp CMOS sensor just announced, Sony and Minolta fans are at the edge of their seats, hoping and waiting for word from Sonolta on the Sony A900, be it a development notice, or even an informal notice to expect it at Photokina 2008.

Meet the new Sony and Zeiss zoom lensesWe cover them in their own post!

To go with the two new DSLRs, Sony has announced two new lenses as well, one under its own banner and one under the Zeiss umbrella. Let's ...zoom through the lenses :)

Meet the Zeiss Vario Sonnar T* 24-70 f2.8 ZAThe model name says it all. The price is $1750, with no concrete delivery time, other than Spring 2008. The 35mm equivalency is 36-105mm. Has SSM motor. Official name is SAL2470Z.

Meet the Sony 70-300 f4.5-5.6 GThe model name says it all too. The price is $800, same delivery "window" as the Zeiss above. The 35mm equivalency is 105-450mm. Has SSM motor. Official name is SAL70300G.

We are excited to add B&H Photo to our regular feature, The Charts, where we look at the best selling cameras at various online retailers. So let's get started! This episode covers the recent top sellers at B&H Photo. Please keep in mind this is a short time period, so please do not draw any long-term conclusions based on this individual post alone. We would like to thank B&H Photo for providing us the data. The top sellers in each category are presented in no particular order.

The D300 was the Robin of the dynamic D3/D300 duo in terms of buzz, but the D300 costs almost 1/3rd of the price of the D3, and that makes it more affordable. Bjorn's D3 review included an early endorsement of the D300 in the DSLR 2008 PixelPeeper Campaign which added fuel to the fire due to limited supply earlier on

And while a lot of Canon fans will admit that the Nikon D3/D300 duo won the "buzz wars", they will point out that the 40D has been, perhaps quietly, moving units and finding itself in the hands of more and more Canon photographers. And the price is certainly right for the 40D. Selling for about 1/3rd less than the D300, makes the trade-off between the two quite an interesting affair.

The D-Rebel continues to be a popular model, despite the fact that the non-Nikon competition has moved towards sensor-shift stabilization. But this has been slowly but steadily putting pressure on Canon to produce affordable IS EF-S lenses, and the crowning moment of that is the kit lens with IS included with the new XSi. The intro of the XSi means that the XTi will slide into the role of the affordable lieutenant, a role currently played by the XT. And some model name translations: XSi=450D, XTi=400D, XT=350D, Original=300D, Cripsy=KFC

The G9 added RAW as it followed on the heels of the G7, and that helped in toning down the "GINO" rhetoric. When evaluated as a stand-alone camera, and compared to what else is currently available with prices factored in, the G9 looks like a reasonable trade-off. (GINO = G-series in name only, referring to the G7 and G9 not having all the defining characteristics of the older legendary G-series models)

The introduction of the D300 and the dropping prices, make the D200 an interesting option for those caught between the D80 and the D300, and perhaps the option of getting one of the older D2* Nikon DSLRs. The possibility of a D90 or D80x may make things even more interesting, but will we see that from Nikon at PMA or do we have to wait for Photokina 2008?

The price is right. This is what makes the Canon A-series the bang for the buck among compact cameras with AA batteries. They may not be the prettiest or sleekest models, but they offer the best bang for the buck and use SD/MMC cards and AA batteries, which are the most affordable options. One could easily call them the perfect cameras for the R-word (R-word = recession).

Unless there is a very specific budget, or you plan to glue the camera on a tripod, we recommend that you get the IS model instead of the regular model. This goes for the A570IS over the A560, and also the A590-IS over the A580. It's only our opinion, which almost guarantees that it's not right ;-)

1001 Noisy is not yet available as a subscription on e-books, but many other sites and magazines are. Not to mention thousands of books, which is the raison d^etre of the next generation of digital book readers. Are any of our readers interested in receiving this blog on their digital e-books? If there is enough interest, we will increase its priority! Also available in black

For a list of reviews of some of the DSLR mentioned above, be sure to check our DSLR Review Matrix.

The Canon 1Ds Mark III and the Nikon D3 are the only current 35mm full frame DSLRs available. Thanks to blog reader Nesohu for reminding us that the Canon 5D is also a current model. All apologies to the 5D fans for the non-inclusion. Time to shutdown for the day or drink a gallon of coffee :)

What do you get when our Blast from the Past feature intersects with a bargain alert? An older camera at a very low price! Thats right, the PMA 2003 era Sony CD350 (yes, it records on CDs) is available by OneCall on Amazon for just $80 each.

So what exactly is the Sony CD350? Its product announcement at dpreview reveals the details. A 3mp 1/2.7" CCD sensor. What? Not a 10mp 1/2.33"? Pictures stored in TIFF format? Wowie! ISO only up to 400? But how can Monet take pictures? And look at that, five years ago, yet the LCD was 2.5"!

SP AF 17-50mm f2.8 XR Di II in Pentax flavor and a Nikon flavor with a built-in focus motor to appease the focus-motor deficient Nikon DSLRs. More at Nikonians.

AF 70-300mm f4-5.6 Di available in Nikon flavor with built-in focus motor. More at dpnow.

The new SP AF 70-200 is available for pre-ordering at Amazon, delivery is expected in 2 to 5 weeks from now, and the price is $700. Amazon does offer a pre-order and post-order price guarantee, so you will get the lower price if there is a price-drop up to 30 days after your item is shipped. Each picture below is for a different mount. Mouse over for more details.

The lenses are also featured at digitalcamera.jp, computer-translated from Japanese to English.

PS> Di are digitally optimized lenses, but work on 35mm full frame camerasPS2> Di II are cropped-sensor lenses (DX, DA, EF-S, DT, you name it), and not recommended for 35mm full frame cameras

Update: We missed the SP AF 10-24 f3.5-4.5 Di II LD (IF) Among all the waves of announcements, we missed the new Tamron 10-24 lens. But Photography Blog has the details. This is a [Di II] lens, meaning you can only use it on cropped sensor DSLRs which gives it an equivalent range of about 15-36mm. It will be available in CMNP, which is old-school for Canon, Minolta-Sony, Nikon and Pentax. Price not mentioned, and we did not find it on Amazon for pre-ordering.
Read the rest of "New Tamron SP 70-200 f2.8 Di and availability of other models"...

The three new lenses under development are the [smc PENTAX DA * 55mm f1.4 SDM], equivalent to 83mm or so in 35mm equivalency. Note the f1.4 and the SDM (Pentax's name for silent and smooth AF). Zoomers might be interested in the [smc PENTAX DA * 60-250mm f4 ED IF SDM], a zoom ratio of just over 4X, and 35mm equivalency of around 90 to 375mm. Standard zoom lensers might be interested in the new [smc PENTAX DA 17-70 f4 AL IF SDM]. This comes out to about 26-105 in 35mm equivalency. Note: The math is off the top of my head, so they are likely to be a couple of mm off. I'm doing a 1.5x, instead of a 1.5x multiplication :)

Also on the roadmap one can observe a [DA * 30mm SDM] and a [DA 15mm Limited]

Also of interest, there is a 645 lens in the roadmap, the [D FA 645 55m f2.8], which the text states that it will be available at the same time as the Pentax 645D launch. We are not sure if this text was included in previous editions of the roadmap or if this was recently added. If it is the latter, then this sounds promising for those waiting (im)patiently for the Pentax 645D! It looks like this was the older cached roadmap. The 645 lens is gone from the roadmap :(

As you can expect these new lenses have generated some buzz among Pentaxians. Here are some sample threads from the Pentax SLR Talk forum at dpreview discussing these new lenses:

We are officially renaming the "Bargain Hunter's Corner" to the all inclusive "Shopping Row". Shopping Row is a superset that includes bargain hunters, early adopters, technophiles, pre-orderers, and cutting edge buyers.

We were thinking of naming it "Shopaholics Anonymous", but then we discovered there is a website with that name, called Shopaholics Anonymous, run by a group of counselors, trying to help compulsive buyers.

To summarize the Panasonic day so far, we have the following. It started with the Panasonic FS3 on the Panasonic UK site, noticed in the Panasonic dpreview forum. Meanwhile, Engadget noticed that the Panasonic RSS feed was "leaking" the headlines of product announcements, which revealed the FX35. After that, we performed a few likely model name searches on Amazon and found the TZ5, TZ4, LZ8, and FS5. Then the official announcements came out and revealed two more cameras, the LZ10 and FS20!

Monthly Production Output according to Panasonic JapanBy looking at the press releases at Panasonic Japan, computer-translated thanks to Altavista's Babelfish, we discover the following monthly production outputs, in terms of camera units:

The wide angle cutie, the FX35, in five body colors: 80,000 units per month

6fps at lower resolutions (2mp to 2.5mp depending on crop (4:3 or 16:9))

face detection

intelligent scene selector (does that mean no PSAM?)

This is of note: "When in Advanced Intelligent Auto mode, the following technologies all operate automatically; no settings need to be manually changed". An "advanced auto" mode :)

PRICE: $350, available for pre-order at Amazon, with your choice of blue, black or silver. Amazon has a pre-order and post-order price guarantee so you can get the lowest price up to 30 days after the camera ships.

OpinionWe are glad to see two more TZ-series models from Panasonic, however, we are disappointed that one of them was not a more "grown up" version. By that we mean give the user the traditional photographic control (PSAM) - manual exposure control, along with shutter and aperture priority. Scenes and program mode and intelligent scenes are wonderful. We do not ask that they be removed. But give the photographer photographic control please! Since these cameras have appeal to photographers of all experience levels.

Another thing we would have liked to have seen is RAW mode. If the 1/2.5" Panasonic FZ8 had RAW, then why not offer RAW on the 10mp 1/2.33" TZ5? With more pixels on a very slightly larger sensor, RAW becomes even more important for those who want to use RAW.

The FX35 also features a fourth-generation, high-performance image processing LSI, the Venus Engine IV

2.5" LCD

720p video

Price: $350, already available for pre-order at Amazon, with pre-order and post-order price guarantee.

Engadget points out that Panasonic's own RSS feed has leaked some their new PMA 2008 digital cameras. Rumor hunters, subscribe to the manufacturers RSS feeds!

The Panasonic FX35 starts at 25mm wide (why didn't they name it FX25?) and this is a welcome surprise for fans of wide angle! Already people were grumbling that 28mm on digital were not the same as 28mm wide on 35mm film, so now they have a 25mm wide to play with. More details on this when more is leaked or *gasp* an official announcement is made.

The leak also mentions "expanding the TZ-series" which is interesting to those interested in seeing more "grown up camera" features in the TZ-series, but it maintaining its "fun component". We have to wait for another leak or the official announcement for details. Here is what I (and others) would like to see in this: PSAM (Av, Tv, manual exposure control) which should be fairly easy to implement. For bonus points, they should add RAW. After all the Panasonic FZ8 has RAW and it is using about the same size sensor, somewhere in the 1/2.5" vicinity.

Also mentioned by no details were given were the LZ-series and the new "affordable" FS-series, a poor man's version of the FX-series, which apparently Panasonic wants to boost in terms of prestige. Thus the attempt with the 12mp 1/1.7" Panasonic FX100 last year. (I did say "attempt").

So what of the LX-series and the FZ-series or perhaps an entry-level DSLR or a prosumer surprise? We hope that this was a partial leak, and not the whole enchilada! We have to wait and hope for the announcement (or another leak).

No more a rumor the Nikon D60 is now an official member of Nikon's DSLR product line-up!

Meet the Nikon D60 DSLRThe Nikon D60 joins the Nikon D40 and Nikon D40X in the first tier of Nikon DSLRs. It uses a 10mp 1.5X DX CCD sensor with a 12-bit A/D converter. It expects a focus motor on the lens, just like the D40 and D40x, something that some Nikonians are upset about.

It supports 12-bit uncompressed NEF RAW files, along with RAW + basic JPEG, and obviously JPEG. The CAM350 module is doing the auto focusing magic, and the 3D color matrix metering II does the metering magic. ISO goes up to 1600 (3200 extended).

It has a 2.5" LCD (230k dots), EN-EL9 LiIon battery, SDHC memory cards, hot-shoe and the other usual features you would expect from a DSLR at this segment.

Speaking of which, the price is set $750 with the 18-55 DX VR lens and the kit is expected to ship around February 2008. The European price appears to be similar, but in euros instead of dollars. You read right, it will ship with a kit lens that has a VR (vibration reduction) feature.

Web coverage of the D60 announcement

Brief hands-on preview at dpreview, with a side-by-side visual comparison with the D40X

The Nikon P50 generated some interest because it started at 28mm, and was viewed as a "poor man's Nikon P5000/P5100". Certainly the price was much lower than those two, and it was as closed to half off at some point.

But Nikon surprised us here by not continuing the wide-angle feature of the PX0-series, and instead went with a pedestrian 5x optical zoom lens starting at 36mm. This perhaps indicates that is intended to run in parallel with the P50, as opposed to a replacement.

It does have image stabilization which is always a plus, just like having manual exposure. But fans of Tv and Av will be disappointed, thus not the full PSAM complement.

Its price is an affordable $230 (March 2008), which is explain why it has a low-res 2.5" LCD, as opposed to the more typical 230k dot resolution. But AA battery fans will be thrilled that it uses two AA batteries, just like the P50.

The sensor is (I guess) a modest 8mp 1/2.5" vs the newer 10mp 1/2.33". You don't have to be a math major to see that the 10mp 1/2.33" sensor is more of an ant-hill than the 8mp 1/2.5" CCD. But that's a story for another day.

A mild surprise is the inclusion of an EVF. Yes, an EVF, not a typo. Placed in the top left corner of the camera.

Unlike the new S-series Coolpixies, battery life is estimated at 350 (although not sure if it is with AA lithium or rechargeable AA NiMH).

Oh boy, the bread is buttered at the mass-market cameras, and Nikon is going after that with a five-pack of new S-series Coolpixies!

No pixie dust actually, these are fairly modest and predictable models but Nikon continues its embrace of 28mm wide compacts with one of those four starting at 28mm wide. Which is the S600, which we will start with:

Nikon has a wave of new announcements as expected. We start from the bottom and go up! So first we have two Coolpix L-series cameras. The L, perhaps for Learners, are their AA-based entry-level line-up.

An eagle-eyed dpreview forum user has spotted a Dyxum.com thread talking Sony A300 and A350 DSLRs. That's right, a 10mp A300 with a twist-and-shout LCD and a 14mp A350. This is quite interesting that the difference of sensors (10mp vs 14mp) only goes for a 50-model-point increase. the original Dyxum thread.

If that is so, then what will the Sony A500 be? An affordable full-frame? An APS-H? A beefed up A350? Oh my! And then what of the Sony A900? Of course Sony has talked about the A900 formally, but not the A500, so there's no guarantee we will see an A500.

Blogger will be having a 10-minute maintenance outage at 7pm New York City time today. You may not be able to access this blog during that time period. Also as it is common with any sort of IT maintenance, it doesn't take a lot for a 10-minute outage to become a 20-minute outage. If blogger is inaccessible, be sure to check our Twitter page for the latest updates in 140 words or less.

For all our readers who are bored, tired or not interested in the latest cascading waves of new digital cameras, we have a special edition of the Photography Soup that is free of new digital cameras, rumors, gadgets and speculation!

The dpreview Canon forums are buzzing with rumors, speculation, wishful thinking and anticipation as to what Canon will do at PMA 2008, at Photokina 2008 and in 2008 in general. Here are some sample threads:

Saturday, January 26, 2008

In a story lost in the waves and waves of new camera announcements, but picked up by the Imaging Insider and CNet's Underexposed blog, Canon is plotting revenge and world domination.

As we mentioned before, Nikon beat Canon in DSLR market share in Japan for 2007. This is something that did not sit well with Canon - obviously. Just two years ago, a lot of people, me included, thought that Canon was very close to being invincible in DSLRs. But Nikon managed to chip away, chip away, and now jump ahead. The unusual duo of the D40 and D40x is credited by some people as what shifted the momentum in terms of market share.

And in terms of mind share, it was obviously the dynamic duo of the D3 and the D300, for which we have Beatle-mania like coverage because of all the buzz they have generated.

The projections for 2008 are broken further down to 25m non-DSLRs (+16.8% projected increase) and 4.4m DSLRs (+37.5% projected increase). Canon hopes that the brand new Digital Rebel XSi (450D) will help them regain the #1 spot in Japan. This perhaps may explain why Canon jumped to 12mp, added a spotmeter (is the world ending?), bundled it with an IS kit lens for just $100 more, and borrowed a number of features from the 40D and 1D Mark III.

Friday, January 25, 2008

We are tracking all the new camera announcements of 2008 already, so now we are creating a new list, a list that tries to keep track of pre-orders for the new cameras that were announced in 2008! As the table has now grown long, we will split it into four different pieces: DSLRs, Lenses, Compact digital cameras, and Everything else. So here they are:

FootnotesPre-ordering through this table is a great way to tip us for our efforts in chasing digital cameras across the globe and providing you information-overload updates on new digital cameras :) Just the other day we caught the Sony W300 swimming in the Great River :)

We were looking at the latest updates at the Imaging Insider and we noticed this interesting experiment, photographer Mark Alberhasky squared off the Nikon D3 with the Leica M8. This is not a long review, but rather a single picture face-off. An old-fashioned western duel if you like. One shot - who wins? We won't spoil it here, you have to read to find out!